Barszcz (Classic Polish Borscht)
Published April 22, 2020
- Total Time
- 3 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 6medium beets (about 1½ pounds), peeled — 3 beets quartered and 3 beets left whole
- 1½pounds fresh or frozen beef shank bones, or other veal or beef bones
- 2medium carrots, peeled
- 1medium parsnip, peeled
- 1large white or yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 1large leek, trimmed, halved lengthwise and crosswise, then rinsed
- 1large celery stalk, halved crosswise
- 8large garlic cloves, peeled
- 3large fresh or dried bay leaves
- 6dried porcini mushrooms (optional)
- 2teaspoons black peppercorns (optional)
- ½teaspoon dried marjoram (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 to 3tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Sour cream, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
278 calories; 9 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 888 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large pot, combine the beets, bones, carrots, parsnip, onion, leek, celery, garlic and bay leaves, plus the mushrooms, peppercorns and marjoram, if using. Top with 14 cups water. (There should be enough water to cover all the ingredients.) Bring to a boil over high.
- Step 2
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 2 to 2½ hours. As it cooks, use a small ladle to periodically skim off and discard any foam, impurities and fat that have risen to the top of the pot.
- Step 3
Transfer the 3 whole beets to a cutting board to cool. Strain the soup through a colander set over a large bowl. Remove the bones and press the solids to extract all the liquids, then strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean medium saucepan.
- Step 4
Once they’re cool enough to handle, chop the reserved whole beets into small ½-inch cubes. Stir the diced beets into the soup and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 5
Heat soup over medium until warmed, then stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve very hot in small bowls or even large teacups, which you can pick up and drink. If desired, serve with a spoonful of sour cream. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Private Notes
Comments
It sounds good and close to the real barszcz but it is missing something sour, I do not think lemon would be enough. The real barszcz is made with pickled beet juice, which you have to pickle ahead of time for about a week. If you want a shortcut add some water from a jar of pickles into the soup or some vinegar. If you want more flavor shred the beets on a shredder or in a food processor and then strain it after cooking the soup for a while. oh and in my family we also add dry allspice berries
Wonderful and authentic recipe, except for one ingredient- parsnip. It should have been a parsley root, a different vegetable. Parsnip is not known in Poland or should I say not common.
I grew up with borscht at home and have been making different versions of it over four decades. Always trying new approaches, adding and eliminating ingredients. Broiling, roasting, and boiling the the beets whole, covered and cut up but this by far is the most elegant and flavorful version I’ve ever had. Thank you. I will be making this again.
As a note, you should always blanch the bones in boiling water for ~5-10 minutes to remove the impurities before making stock with them. Do *not* just add them as is to the pot with the rest of the ingredients; your stock will end up less clear and pure. Otherwise, I found this to be delicious, especially with the sour cream. I opted for a healthy amount of vinegar instead of the lemon juice.
I forgot the lemon juice and realised yes, I needed sour. But my twin 1yos DEVOURED it. New fave.
I grew up eating a similar version of barszcz (thanks to one set of Polish grandparents, who came from the southeastern region of Poland!). We individually added chopped kielbasa, chopped boiled egg, horseradish, and sour cream to our soup bowls. It might sound unappealing but it was so good. Smacznego!